Inspectors found major irregularities in most of Malta’s tuna farms during routine checks last year but the operations were allowed to continue, The Sunday Times of Malta has informed.

Sources in the Fisheries Department said that inspections on the island’s tuna pens between September and October of 2018 uncovered how farmers had concealed hundreds of extra fish, amounting to at least EUR 4 million in illegal catches.

Some pens also had missing fish – believed to have been sold on the black market – while others had included tuna that was not at the right age, with inspectors suspecting the extent of the alleged irregularities.......................................................